Powdered-fuel air mixer and feeder



June 9, 19251 1 1,541,087

w; H. WHITAKER Y POWDERED FUE L AIR MIXER AND FEEDER Filed Feb. 11, .1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W. H. WHITAKER POWDERED FUEL AIR MIXER AND FEEDER June 9, 1925 Filed Feb. 11, 1924 2 Sheets-$heet 2 Patented June 9, 1925.

'UNiTED STATES 1,541,087 PATENT ormcs.

WILLIAM H. WHITAKER, or snELBYvInLE, ILLINOIS.

POWIl'ERED-FUEL.AIB MIXER AND FEEDER.

Application filedFehruary 11,1924. seria1No.692,065.

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and justment, the construction being such as to prevent packing, arching and sliding of the fuel, with their well known disadvantages.

In feeding the fuel to the air inlet of the' fan, a peripherally-pocketed feed roll is used, whose pockets carry the'fuel down wardly from a chamber in which it is loosened and dump it at the lower side of the roll, and a further object is to provide for throwing the pockets in a portion of the roll, more. or less out of operation according to the quantity of'fuel needed, provision being made for controlling the entrance of air into the fan according to the quantity of fuel discharged by the fuel roll.

Another aim is to provide an exception ally simple and compact structure for obtaining excellent results.

" With the foregoing in View, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through a machine embodying my invention.

Figures 2 and 3 are vertical transverse sectional views as indicated by lines 2-2 and 33 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings above briefly described,

the numeral 1 designates a vertically disposed fan casing adapted to be rigidly mounted on any suitable support. One side of this casing is. formed with an air inlet eye .2, and a horizontal air inlet neck 3 leads to this eye, the inner end of this neck being preferably integral with the fan casing. The outer end of the neck 3 is formed with a plurality of air inlet openings 5 which are controlled by a sleeve valve 6, said end of the neck being provided also with a bearing 7 for 'a horizontal shaft 8 which passes through the neck and the fan casing and carries a fan 9. This shaft is preferably driven by an electric motor provided with a suitable rheostat, and forms the drive shaft of the entire machine.

Discharging into the upper side of the neck 3; and preferably formed integrally with said neck, is a fuel inlet neck 10, one of Whose sides is preferably formed by one vertical side of the casing 1. The upper end of the. neck 10 is preferably flush with the top of the casing 1, and may well be provided With an outstanding flange 11.-

A fuel receiving chamber 12 is provided above the neck 10, being adapted for com munication with a suitable hopper or the like (not shown), the lower end of said chamber being provided with a reduced outlet throat 13 whose lower end is formed with an outsanding flange 14 secured by screws or the like 15 to the flange 11, so that the throat 13 delivers into the neck 10. This throat is preferably provided with heavily constructed opposed sides 16 and 17 secured in place by screws or the like 18,

suitable shaft bearing 19. The inner side of the member 17 is provided with a recess wardly extendingoperating stub 24 which is preferably of tubular form and contains a bearing 25 alined with the bearing 19. A feed roll shaft 26 passes through the bearings 19 and 25 and has an extended end driven by a suitable train of gearing 27, from the shaft 8, said gearing being located in a suitable housing 28. Keyed the side member 16 being provided with a I upon the shaft 26, within the throat 13, is a feed roll 29 which is provided with peripheral grooves 30 which are spirally dire'cted and form pockets for receiving powdered fuel from the chamber 12 and dumping it into the neck 10. I

To control the amount of fuel fed to the neck 10 by the roll 29, I provide a gate 31 which is preferably of arcuate form to extend partly around the periphery of the roll 29, at one-end of the'latter, said gate being carried by the head 22. It will be seen that by turning this head, the gate 31 may be positioned to cover the pockets at the lower side of substantially half of the feed roll, or only a desired number of such pockets. Thus, they are prevented from dumping and the quantity of fuel fed to the neck 10, by the feed roll, is reduced.

In the construction shown, the outer end of the stub 24 is provided with a collar'32 having a wrist pin and. a handle 34. By

turning this handle, the valve or gate 3l fuel being supplied to the fan casing, any more rapidly than it can be blown from the latter with the air entering through the nec 3.

In order to thoroughly loosen the fuel in the chamber 12 and thus prevent it from packing, arching and later sliding, I have provided an appropriate agitator 37 whose -shaft 38 is driven by a chain or other desired means 39, from the feed roll shaft 26.

lVhen the machine'is operating, the agitator 3T effectively loosens the fuel in the chamber 12, the pockets 30of the feed roll 29 are gradually filled with the loosened fuel, as said roll rotates, and these pockets dump the fuel in measured quantities, into the neck 10. There is no possibility of the 7 fuel sliding by the feed roll 29 and'as the movements of the feed roll and fan are syn chronized, an over supply of fuel cannot be obtained, having a tendency to choke the fan, outlet or produce a flickering flame.

Thefan draws air inwardly through the neck 3 and the fuel dumped from the feed roll pockets, is picked up by this air and 1 carried in suspension thereby, into the fan casing. In this casing, an intimate mixture of air and fuel takes place and the mixture is blown from the fan outlet into the burner nozzles (not shown), producing horizontal air passage,

a steady flame which may be regulated at will, by speedingor retarding the fan and the feed roll, and by operating the handle I 34 to simultaneously control the gate 31 and the sleeve valve 6,,so as to supply the re-' quired amount of fuel and the proper amount of air therewith.

Excellent results are obtainable from the details disclosed and they are therefore preferably followed, but within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes may be made.

I claim:

1. Powdered fuel and air feeding and mixing means comprising a fan casing having a horizontal air inlet neck whose upper side is formed with a fuel inlet opening, a powdered fuelhopper above said-neck, a substantially straight vertical fuel passage from the lower end of said hopper to said fuel inlet opening of the neck, said passage having a fixed internal size, means in said hopper for loosening the fuel and prevent-.

ing arching thereof over said passage, a cylindrical feed roll disposed horizontally in said passage and at all times alone acting to prevent direct gravitation of fuel from the liopper into said air inlet neck, said roll having longitudinal circumferentially spaced ribs extending uninterruptedly from one end to the other and defining pockets to receive the loose fuel from the hopper and carry such fuel bodily to the lower side of the roll for discharge into the aforesaid air inlet neck of the fan casing, an arcuate gate at the periphery of said feed roll and of less length than said roll, said gate being pivotally mounted co-axially with said feed roll and being effective for controlling the handling of fuel by the portions of the pockets at one end of said roll, an air controlling valve for the aforesaid air inlet neck, operating connections between said valve and the aforesaid gate, a rotary fan in a the fan casing for discharging the air and fuel therefrom, and driving connections between said fan and said feed roll.

2. Powdered fuel and air mixing and feeding means comprising a substantially, a substantially straight vertical fuel inlet passage of fixed internal size opening through the top of said air passage,.a feed roll across said fuel passage and at all times alone acting to prevent direct gravitation of fuel therethrough,

.said roll having longitudinally disposed cir- .cumferentially spaced ribs from end to end defining pockets which .are adapted to receive fuel from the fuel passage and carry it bodily downward for discharge into saidair passage, an arcuate gate at theperiphery of said feed roll and of less length than said roll, said gate being movable across the portions of said pockets at one end of said feed roll to prevent functioning thereof, a

valve for said air passage, and operating connections between said valve and the aforesaid gate.

3. Powdered fuel and air mixing andfeeding means comprising an air pamage, a fuel inlet opening into said air passage, a peripherally-pocketed feed roll whose pockets discharge fuel into said passage through said fuel inlet, a gate movable across a portion of said feed roll to prevent fuel feeding by said portion of the roll, said gate having an operating stub extended outwardly through the wall of said fuel inlet, a controlling valve for the aforesaid air passage, and means connecting said stub and valve for adjustment in unison.v p r 4. A structure as specified in claim 3; said stub and valve'being rotatable and having wrist pins, and a link connecting said wrist pins, constituting said connecting means. 5. A feeder for powdered material comprising a passage of fixed internal size, a feed roll across said passage at all times alone preventing direct gravitation of fuel thcrethrough, said roll having uninterrupted pockets from end toend for carrying the material from one side of said roll to the other and dumping it, and an arcuate gate at the periphery of said feed roll and of less length than said roll, said gate bein movable across the portions of said poc ets at one end of said feed roll to prevent functioning thereof, said gate being rotatable concentrically with the feed roll and having a tubular ope-rating stub extending outwardly through the wall of saidpassage, said roll being provided with a driving shaft, one end of which is rotatable within said tubular stub.

6. A- feed device comprising a passage cess of circular outline and with an opening co-axial with said recess, a. feed roll extending across said passage in axial alinementwith said recess and having pockets from one end to the other, a head rotatably received in said recess and having an arcuate gate at the periphery of said feed roll and of less length than said roll'forcontrolling functioning of the portions of the feed roll pockets in one end of the roll, and an operating stub extending from said head through "the aforesaid opening.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto affixed my signature.

' wnaaan n WHITAKER.

,w'hose wall is formed with an internalre- 

